1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical puncturing devices, commonly referred to as lancets, which are used to take blood samples from patients and, more specifically, to a lancet device that is ergonomically designed for ease of use and manipulation by a user.
2. Description of Related Art
Lancet devices are used in the medical field for puncturing the skin of a patient to obtain a capillary blood sample from the patient. Certain diseases, such as diabetes, require that the patient's blood be tested on a regular basis to monitor, for example, the patient's blood sugar levels. Additionally, test kits, such as cholesterol test kits, often require a blood sample for analysis. The blood collection procedure usually involves pricking a finger or other suitable body part in order to obtain the blood sample. Typically, the amount of blood needed for such tests is relatively small and a small puncture wound or incision normally provides a sufficient amount of blood for these tests.
Various lancet devices are commercially available to hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices, and the like, as well as to individual consumers. Such devices typically include a sharp-pointed member such as a needle, or a sharp-edged member such as a blade, that is used to make a quick puncture wound or incision in the patient's skin in order to provide a small outflow of blood. It is often physiologically and psychologically difficult for many people to prick their own finger with a hand-held needle or blade. As a result, lancet devices have evolved into automatic devices that puncture or cut the skin of the patient upon the actuation of a triggering mechanism. In some devices, the needle or blade is kept in a standby position until it is triggered by the user, who may be a medical professional in charge of drawing blood from the patient, or the patient himself or herself. Upon triggering, the needle or blade punctures or cuts the skin of the patient, for example on the finger. Often, a spring is incorporated into the device to provide the sufficient force necessary to puncture or cut the skin of the patient.
It is of the utmost importance in the medical field that such medical puncturing devices or lancets are in a sterile condition before use. Today, generally without exception, medical puncturing devices or lancets are manufactured and packaged in a sterilized condition before they are distributed to medical professionals and members of the public who have a need for such devices. The sterile packaging maintains the sterility of the device, ensuring that the surrounding environment does not contaminate it until use. In addition, it is also of increasing importance that the user or another person does not come into contact with the needle or blade after use of the device. With the concern over blood-borne diseases, medical professionals are required to take great care with medical devices that come into contact with the blood of patients. Thus, an important aspect of lancet design is concerned with preventing the needle or blade of the device from wounding the user or another person after the blood sample is drawn from the patient. Once used, the needle or blade should be shielded to prevent the needle or blade from wounding the user or another person handling the device. Moreover, the lancet device should be disposable to eliminate the chances of disease transmission due to the needle or blade being used on more than one person. In this regard, the lancet device should ideally be designed for one firing, and have safety features to prevent reuse.
Advances have been made in recent years to increase safety in operating and handling used lancet devices. For example, lancet devices are currently available which are single shot devices that feature automatic ejection and retraction of the puncturing or cutting element from and into the device. Examples of such medical puncturing devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,432,120; 6,248,120; 5,755,733; and 5,540,709.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,120 to Teo discloses a lancet device that includes a lancet holder, which contains a spring-loaded lancet structure. The spring-loaded lancet structure includes a single spring that affects the ejection and retraction of a lancet needle upon the triggering of the structure. U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,120 to Wyszogrodzki discloses a lancet device comprised of a housing, a shielding portion, a piston with a puncturing tip, and drive and return springs that eject and retract the piston, respectively, upon the breakage of internal wing elements in the housing. U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,733 to Morita discloses a lancet device that includes a combined holder and lancet structure. The lancet structure includes a lancet member with a puncturing tip and a compressible spring member that causes the lancet member to puncture the skin of a patient upon actuation of a pair of actuating arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,709 to Ramel discloses a lancet device that includes a housing enclosing a slidable trigger, which is used to trigger a compressed spring that powers a piercing lancet member to pierce the skin of a patient. The housing includes a pair of internal fingers that engage the body of the lancet member, which are then released of engagement with the lancet member body by axial force applied by the user to the slidable trigger. Other medical puncturing devices or lancets known in the art are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,869,249 and 4,817,603. The devices disclosed in these references include a cap that is used to protect a needle or to keep the needle sterile.
Another important consideration in lancet design is to enable the user to easily manipulate the device with his or her fingertips. The lancet device is ideally easily held between the user's fingertips so that the user has control over the lancet device during a skin puncturing procedure. Typical lancet devices available in the marketplace are not designed for ease of use by the operator. In some designs, for example, the housing of the lancet device is simply a rectangular-shaped box that cooperates with a rectangular-shaped shield portion. In the foregoing design, the user is not provided surfaces for grasping the device with his or her fingertips. Additionally, the shape of the shield portion does not lend itself to instructing the user as to where the puncturing element will be discharged from the device to puncture the skin of the patient. The user must make a guess as to the approximate discharge location of the puncturing element when the shield portion is placed against the patient's skin. Generally, the lancet designs available in the marketplace are not user-friendly and a significant need is present in this area of lancet design.